Tag: Ekiti elections

Advocacy group, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, has commenced a lawsuit to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission to prosecute the politicians who engaged in vote-buying during the July 14 Ekiti State governorship election.

In the suit filed on Friday before the Federal High Court in Lagos, SERAP is urging the court to order the Chairman of INEC, Prof Yakubu Mahmoud, to demand from law enforcement agencies the reports on the alleged vote-buying, so that culpable politician could be prosecuted.

SERAP said it resorted to filing the suit after INEC wrote to it last week that it could not arrest vote buyers, as demanded by SERAP.

INEC, in the said letter, explained to SERAP that while it had power to prosecute electoral offenders, it had to rely on other law enforcement agencies to first arrest the offenders and hand them over before it could prosecute.

SERAP, in his suit, urged the court to order INEC to collaborate with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and theIndependent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission to bring the Ekiti vote buyers to book.

In the suit filed by its Deputy Director, Timothy Adewale, SERAP said its suit followed allegation that both the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party engaged in vote-buying during the governorship election in Ekiti State.

The group claimed that, “till date, INEC and its Chairman have failed, neglected and/or refused to comply with the request by SERAP to prosecute alleged vote buyers.”

It contended that “INEC has no reason whatsoever not to comply with SERAP’s request, because the commission has constitutional and statutory responsibilities to prosecute bribery and undue influence in the context of elections and other electoral offences, as well as conduct and ensure a free and fair election.”

The former Minister of Mines and Steel Development seized the opportunity of the meeting to present his certificate of return issued by the Independent National Electoral Commission to the President.

Although he said he would look into the state’s books, Fayemi said it was not all about probing Fayose or his deputy.

He said the idea was to ensure that mistakes of the past were not repeated.

He said, “l think we need to remove this election from personalities. This was an election that we fought on issues and it will be irresponsible on my part to come here and say that we will not examine what transpired in the last four years in the manner of government.

“What was received in Ekiti State and the expenditures in that period, why were we not able to pay salaries in the state? These issues should be examined in the interest of good governance.

“It is not about probing Fayose, probing Eleka etc. It is about not repeating the mistakes of the past and giving our people good government. So, we will also involve in looking at what transpired in the last four years.”

A member of the seventh House of Representatives, Bamidele Faparusi, has appealed to the party’s delegates not to mortgage their future by selling their votes to the highest bidder.

According to him, experiences have shown vividly that those monetising politics had never turned out to be benefactors to the electorate.

Faparusi, an All Progressives Congress governorship aspirant in Ekiti State, gave the advice in his letter dated February 14 and addressed to all the APC delegates across the 177 wards on the need to brainstorm on the coming primary.

“While thanking you in advance for your unflinching support, please be wary of political merchants who might want to come like a thief in the night to buy your conscience, steal your future and keep you perpetually enslaved,” he warned. .

Faparusi urged them to note that fate had chosen them to be part of the people that would determine the future of Ekiti State for the next four years.

He maintained that he remained one of the most trusted allies of the party, who had been steadfast and tenacious as a progressive politician since the days of the Alliance for Democracy.

“I served my constituency and of course the party as a member of the House of Representatives between 2011 and 2015. I am presenting myself to serve you yet again as the next governor of Ekiti State.

“I have taken time to examine your criteria to choose the next governor for the state and I believe that I am among the very few aspirants that meet all the standards if not the only aspirant.

“I understand that you want your next governor to have political experience without any baggage, my record as a member of the House of Representatives ranked best in the history of our state and that goodwill is a major impetus for me now.

“I also understand that you want a home-grown grass-roots politician who can genuinely understand and identify with you. You all know that I have always been in your midst through thick and thin.”

Faparusi said he was happy that among the criteria outlined by the party to pick its candidate was that such individual must be politically stable, saying he has always been displayed unflagging loyalty to the party since 1999.

He added, “I never dumped the party at any point in time unlike some of my contestants who have tasted different forbidden fruits by their past fraternities with the PDP, a party that was known to be egregiously corrupt.”

“Let me commend your determination and resolve to make sure that the next governor that will emerge from our party comes from Ekiti South Senatorial District. Dear delegates, I am from Ode Ekiti, Gbonyin Local Government Area of Ekiti South.

“Let my experience in politics, business and government work for you, the party and our state. Let me also reassure you that I shall bring those experiences to bear to ensuring that critical stakeholders like you are allowed to take ownership of our dear party and the government we are to form.

“I thank you immensely again for the trust you reposed in me to lead you to the promise land at this year’s governorship election,’ he concluded.

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The Independent National Electoral Commission on Thursday released the timetable and schedule of activities for both the Ekiti and Osun states’governorship elections.

While July 14, 2018 was selected as the election day for Ekiti State, INEC fixed Osun’s election for September 22.

However, the National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Solomon Soyebi, who unveiled the details at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja, also cautioned political parties not to see the development as a notice of election.

Soyebi explained that the dates were picked in compliance with Section 178 (2) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and Section 25 (8) of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended) which stipulated that election into the office of governor should be held not earlier than 150 days and not later than 30 days before the expiration of the term of office of the last holder.

The tenure of the Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose; and his Osun State counterpart, Rauf Aregbesola, will expire on October 15 and November 26, 2018 respectively.

Soyebi said, “The commission is by virtue of Section 30(1) of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended) expected to issue a notice for the election not later than 90 days before the date of the election.”

The INEC commissioner said in Ekiti State, campaigns would be allowed to begin on April 15, 2018.

Soyebi said, “For the Ekiti poll, the notice of election will be issued on April 4, 2018. Campaign by political parties will be allowed between April 15 and July 12. Forms for the election will be available for interested political parties on April 16 and they are to conduct their primaries and resolve all disputes arising therefrom between April 15 and May 14.

“The last day for the submission of Forms CF001 and CF002 at the INEC headquarters is May 15.

“Personal particulars (CF001) and list of candidates will be published on May 22, just as May 30 is the last day for the withdrawal or replacement of candidates by political parties.

“The deadline for the submission of nomination forms by political parties is June 13, to be followed by a publication of the final list of nominated candidates on June 14. The Register of Voters and Notice of Poll will also be published on June 14 and 40 respectively. The names of party agents for the election must be tendered to the Resident Electoral Commissioner on June 30.”

The INEC commissioner said campaigns would begin in Osun State on June 24 and would end on September 20.

Soyebi added, “The notice of election would be issued on June 23, 2018. Campaigns by political parties will be allowed between June 24 and September 20. Forms for the election will be available for interested political parties on June 25.

“Parties are to conduct their primaries and resolve all disputes between June 24 and July 23, while July 24 is the last day for the submission of Forms CF001 and CF002 at the INEC headquarters.”

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